Old Friends
++ Vos ++ Set high on the edge of a mountain ridge, Vos is a gleaming spire of silver and metallic blues rising high into the heavens. Central to the region is the Vosian Citadel, home of the Cybertronian Air Command, the training grounds and headquarters of the planetary air force. Composed of multiple towers, spires, obelisks and domed needles, the air through the region and around the polity itself is filled with wings of flying Cybertronians of all kinds that dart in and out among the many landing platforms like flocks of birds. Far beneath the aeries, closer to the planet's surface, are industrial centers that link the city to the rest of the planet through roads, bridges and mushroom-shaped generator complexes. Vos is rich in energy resources, making it almost completely independent from the rest of the world; these energy resources are mined, worked and processed by lower-caste laborers who cannot fly upwards towards the city's more luxurious heights. Pharma comes looking for Starscream at Vos, expecting to find him at the citadel somewhere. He has a proposition for him, and even though he knows his old classmate isn't particularly fond of him...given his track record he believes there's a reasonable chance that the seeker will at least want to -consider- the offer. When Starscream sees Pharma's ugly mug leering at him through the security feed at the citadel, he's half tempted to tell the drones to attack him. But he knows Pharma wouldn't have come here without good reason. So he opens the gates of the citadel and allows the twisted medic entry. Pharma approaches his former classmate with a deceptively friendly smile. "Starscream, old friend! Good to see you again, and good to see you doing well." he greets, glancing around the luxurious citadel. "How are these cycles treating you?" Starscream gives Pharma an equally charming smile back, laughing politely, his friendly facade perfectly intact. "Well, considering I am the ruling entity of the city state Vos and president of the Vosian flight academy, you could say I'm doing rather well. Perhaps better than you. But I suppose I shouldn't say such things, after all I haven't exactly kept up with you." His crimson optics glint malevolently for the barest hint of a nano-klik. "Maybe," Pharma laughs, patting him on the shoulder. "But I'm not jealous of you, I do enjoy my work. And I'm sure you enjoy yours. You're right, we haven't exactly kept up with each other. Perhaps we should fix that, hm? Right now." It takes every inch of Starscream's self control to not turn on the medic and slam him into the wall, a null ray pressed into his helm. The jet boosters beneath his heels ignite momentarily, leaving scorch marks on the floor. He lightly brushes Pharma's hand away. "Of course, as do I." A pause. "Oh? Do tell." "Of course." Pharma grins. "But not out here. In your office, if you don't mind?" Starscream's optics narrow slightly for a moment. Then his facade resumes and he grins at Pharma. "Of course, right this way," he says, motioning for the medic to follow him into an elevator that leads them to a very private looking basement. Pharma follows Starscream into the basement, his smile never faltering. Once they arrive, he looks about for a moment, nodding. "Nice place you've got here! I applaud you for your accomplishments. After all, everyone has his niche in society, some of us simply take more time to find it. I am happy for you, Starscream." "..." Starscream doesn't respond right away. "... of course. I am.. happy for you too, Pharma." That couldn't be any farther from the truth. But the seeker keeps up his guise perfectly, gesturing politely for Pharma to sit once they arrive in the conference room to the direct left of the elevator. He shuts the door. "Now," he says, his tone suddenly turning a little sour, "was there something you were going to demand from me. Yet again." Pharma moves into the conference room and sit down, chuckling as Starscream drops his facade. He'd expected as much. "Oh, no, not at all." he grins. "When have I ever -demanded- anything from you, Starscream? I only ever wished to work -with- you, as I do this time as well. I have a project lined up that I believe you would find great interest in. So what do you say, hm? Let's do some real -science- together, for old times' sake?" "Oh, right," The seeker says, "nevermind then, you /weren't/ actually begging for my advice," he says staring blankly out a window. Then he turns to face the doctor once more. "Tch." He pauses. "Of course. Well what did you have in mind, exactly?" he asks, his guise once again resuming a little as he once again smiles deceptively at Pharma. Begging? Heh, -hardly-. Starscream loved giving -advice-. Pharma smirks and moves on anyway. "I've been working on a device that may be useful in 'recycling' the dead. Right now, we either smelt them, or if their bodies are still intact, dismantle them for parts or keep them together and give the body to someone else, right? Well I've been thinking, if we could come up with something similar to a nucloen siphon, we could 'harvest' energon from subjects who wish to be euthanized, or are too far gone to save. With the present energon crisis, such something like that would be extremely useful, don't you think?" Starscream regards Pharma, his expression void of emotion. "...right." He sighs heavily, placing a hand on his fore helm. "You really are disgusting," the seeker finally admits, shaking his helm. "But unfortunately you're absolutely right. Tell me more about this nucleon siphon. I believe it is possible." Pharma smirks. "Ah, I knew you wouldn't be able to resist." He produces a few datapads and slides them over to Starscream. "Here are a few of the initial designs. Not much, but it'll give us a skeleton of a prototype to work off of. We could test it first on donors at the relinquishment clinics, perhaps designate a few subjects of various construction." "I wouldn't be able to /resist/?" Starscream says, his expression and tone of voice dulling. He sounds insulted. "Pharma, I could certainly do without. And under different circumstances, I most definitely would have." He picks up the data pads, glancing over them briefly. "This is workable, I suppose." He pauses. Then his expression darkens a little. "No.. actually, I believe it would be better if we kept this all very contained. I will bring a first test subject for you to experiment on, later, once the prototype has been built. Then, once we've done a trial run on this subject and it proves successful, that is when the prototype can be taken out of the laboratory and to a relinquishment clinic, where it can be put to its proper and intended use." Pharma waves a dismissive hand. "Fine, fine. You want to take a more cautious route, I get it. We'll get a few volunteers for the first tests, -then- proceed to the clinical trials." Starscream smirks. "Volunteers.. ha." Then the seeker laughs lustily. "I always knew you were the sort who didn't like playing it safe," the seeker says pretentiously. He stands and leans forwards towards the medic. "Oh, and one little thing I forgot to mention. Once this is all over, I get to kill you. Or, I'll exploit your project to the public, and you'll never get to see it finished. Understood? Perfect. Now. Get out of my sight before I decide I'd rather have you dead than more energon." Pharma chuckles, shaking his head. "Oh, Starscream. I should have expected this sort of reaction, I suppose. Really must you be so bitter about your expulsion from the Academy? Like I said, some of us take more time to find our niches, but you have clearly found yours, so what is there to get your axles in a twist about? Heheh." He smirks again. "But no matter. Fine, you get to kill me once the project reaches fruition, see if that makes you feel any -better- about yourself." Ha. What a pathetic crybaby. "Oh, and of course, not a word about it to anyone else, even the rest of your -team-." Starscream clenches his fists, and his boosters burn blackened marks on the floor where he stands. Who did Pharma think he was, to boss Starscream like that? His expression turns icy and bitter for a moment, and then his deceptive guise returns. "I hear you," The seeker says, his tone deadly calm. "Now go/." His patience is running out. Pharma finally stands up to leave. "It was good seeing you, old friend. 'Til we meet again." The doctor then returns to the elevator, and sees himself out.